What percentage of female hockey players are gay
Kate & Helen Richardson-Walsh on LGBT in sport, Rainbow Laces Summit and more
"Unless relationships like ours are talked about openly, we'll never get over it being taboo for some people." Kate Richardson-Walsh is alongside her wife Helen, sitting comfortably, chatting about two subjects - sexuality and gender - that she knows some still find uncomfortable.
Outdated social customs tend to get burned up by trailblazers favor the Olympic gold medal-winning Richardson-Walshs. Though they accept a taboo persists, particularly in sport, their status as same-sex partners has made conversations about female homosexual and gay athletes largely unavoidable when Kate and Helen are interviewed together. They were wed four years ago and notice anyone who finds that remotely eyebrow-raising had superior catch up quick - "we're conscious of equilibrate, but really it's just normal", says Kate.
Great Britain's hockey heroines from Rio 2016 are discussing LGBT inclusion in sport - as matter-of-fact and certain on the topic as their marriage certificate - ahead of appearances at the Rainbow Laces Summit in Manchester. Few events promote participation better than the Olympic Games, and the knock-on effect
Welcome to winter, now known as the start of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) season. This is my first year doing one of these lists for hockey, but it’s not because I’ve been ignoring the sport. It’s only the second season in the league’s history, and the first where it really feels like they’re planned out and ready to move in advance.
If you’re anything like me, you love women’s sports not just because of how incredible the athletes are, but because of all the queer drama and relationships that take place off the court. This list is for us! There are 159 players currently on a PWHL roster, divided between six teams. Below is a list of all of the out gay players, and what team they’re on. For my purposes “out” is defined by entity public about a relationship/sexuality on social media, or talking about it in an interview.
As always, if you are an athlete and want to be added or removed from this list, email me at writethroughthenight @ gmail . com and I will immediately update.
Last updated: 12/3/24
Boston Fleet
I will be cheering for the Boston Fleet this year; despite moving to Chicago, my al
Image of Jayna Hefford, a lesbian hockey player, participating in the 2010 Olympic Games, courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America.
Being from Canada, hockey has always been an inescapable part of my life. Whether it was playing it in school, cheering on my local team, or watching NHL on TV, it has always been an activity I was constantly exposed to. Over the years I began to notice that, unlike the name of the song “Good Ol’ Hockey Game” implies, hockey has not always been fine to all those who attempt to play it. It is widely acknowledged that the NHL consists of approximately 93% pale players (Thrashers Top NHL With Highest Percentage Of Black Players, 2011). Female hockey players in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League can earn up to $1000, and only if they win, which is significantly less than their male counterparts (Mack, 2014). Homophobia is not singular to hockey, but it still manifest there through derogatory marks and “locker room fears”, making it harder for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) individuals to access the sport (Toronto Male lover Hockey Association, Xtra Promo, 2016). When these identities begin to pile up on one another, it
A matter of pride: women's hockey and the Gay community
It's a strange period to be a lgbtq+ hockey fan, to state the least.
Men's hockey has by and large made it clear that when they say "hockey is for everyone," it comes with stipulations — and those don't always comprise the LGBTQ+ community. With more NHL players asserting their "individual choices" not to wear rainbow jerseys or participate in warmups, and teams bowing to outside influences altogether in some instances, it's felt more and more appreciate our escapist hobby is set on reflecting the reality of our political landscape.
So it's a refreshing turn of events when we see women's hockey making an abrupt rotate from that. Not only do teams in women's leagues have Pride nights, but the jerseys for those games aren't just props for warmups; players will wear them throughout the game. Teams may partner with local organizations benefiting the community, or have important figures or even drag artists lower a ceremonial puck. Lgbtq+ fest merch in the past has featured work by queer artists as successfully, and it's overall a much more inviting and inclusive atmosphere.
One can tell it's par for the course; after all, women's sports and espe
50 years of research: girls still shun sport due to lesbian stigma
Most female rugby players in the UK and Canada say people automatically assume they are lesbians for playing the sport.
The stigma and discrimination that girls and women experience when they play sports such as rugby, cricket, or ice hockey has been extensively documented in hundreds of studies by researchers over the last half-century (see timeline). Recent research suggest petty has changed.
Researchers from Australia’s Monash University conducted surveys and interviews with female athletes from a variety of sports in Australia and rugby union players in the UK and Canada. Nearly all (91%) of the rugby players said most people assume they are lesbians for playing the sport. The British research was conducted in partnership with the Harlequins rugby club in response to players continuing to announce stigma and discrimination.
A recent BBC documentary highlights how this stigma is particularly challenging for women and girls from non-Anglo backgrounds in developing countries. However, researchers have also found this to be the case in western countries for girls with cultural backgrounds that hav